High spot marker



April 7, 1953 v. o. LUCIA HIGH SPOT MARKER Filed May 29, 1948 INVENTOR V/cof? 0. uf/A. y

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 7, 1 953 HIGH SPOT MARKER Victor 0. Lucia, Teaneck, N. J., assignor to The Dentists Supply York Company of New York, New N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 29, 1948, Serial No. 30,057

3 Claims. (CD32-19) This invention relates generally to dental devices. More particularly, it is concerned with an improved construction for the types of devices used by dentists for marking teeth in the mouth for the purpose of grinding high spots on the teeth to bring them into occlusion.

In certain types of dental work. such as, for example, the tting of artificial dentures, crowns, bridges and inlays in the mouth, it is necessary to locate and grind olf high spots or cuspal interferences which' prevent opposing teeth from occluding properly. To locate the high spots it has been the practice to employ a sheet of carbon paper, known as articulating paper. Such sheets of articulating paper are held by the dentist with his fingers or with a tool while the patient closes his mouth, biting on the carbon paper and, if necessary, moving the mandible through the usual protrusive and lateral movements employed in the mastication of food, to leave an imprint on the occlusal surfaces of the opposing teeth of any high spots on the teeth which interfere with the desired occlusal contact.

The articulating paper which has been Widely used heretofore has denite disadvantages in that it will smear overall oeclusal surfaces and will show prints where there is nol contact between the teeth by becoming hunched when the teeth are carried through the masticatory movements. 1

One of the main objects of this invention is to avoid these disadvantages and to provide an articulating or high spot marker which does not smear over all surfaces of the `teeth and- Which will mark only the true high spots on the opposing teeth.

A further object of this invention is to pro'- vide a novel marking device of the class described which is clean to handle. which is convenient to use and which can be easily attached to the upper or lower teeth and maintained in position for effective use while permitting the dentist to grind the opposing teeth without 111-, terference or interruption. i

A'still further object of this invention is to provideY a novel dental marking device which is `inexpensive to manufacture and which can be used in the correction of artificial dentures either in the mouth or in an articulator, as well as the correction of natural dentitions and partly articial dentures in the mouth. y 1

Other subjects of my vinvention will herein after become evident from the following descriptionz. Y

This devicev will be more fullydescribed with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a plan view in perspective of a laminated high-spot marking wafer embodying this invention, v

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a section taken along the line 2--2` of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

y Figure 3 shows an enlarged sectional appearance of the marking waferduring the biting thereof, a

Figure 4 shows a viewA somewhat similar to Figure l3.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged sectional view similar to Figure 2, but of a modified form ofv my Wafer. Y

Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figures 3 andfl but embodying the modified form of my Wafer as shown in Figure 5.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 show plan views of modified `forms of my marking wafers.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings. wherein like reference characters denote similar elements, it will be observed from Figures A1 and 2 that a wafer I generally consists of a laminated sheet, comprising a carrier sheet 2 for a marking substance which is impregnated with or coated on bothsides with such a substance and lamina'tedbetween two sheets of a soft wax'3 and 4. Thelouter Ylayers 3 and d can be of any desired wax or wax-like material, provided that it be non-tacky and sufficiently soft so that the layers 3 and 4 will conform readily to the object imposed on them or pressed into them by light pressure. Such soft wax layers can be compounded, for example, of a mixture of beeswax and parafn, it may be a microcrystalline wax, paraffin wax, or a similar hydrocarbon wax. It may be a vegetable wax, or it may be one Y of those waxes compounded with a minor amount ofmiscible resin or cellulose. derivative. The

:Wax or wax compound which I utilize for these vouter layers must be suiiciently hard to retain its shape and not soil the fingers when handled gently, Soft enough to conform to the shape of a tooth. orown when subjected to a gentle biting `pressure in the mouth. These wax layers should f haveva thickness within the range of 0.1 mm. to -The substance used as a marking material @may .be either'a vwater-soluble dye or a pigment, Hwhich is^non^toxictohumans and of a strong colori-'prefer tense-black or other dark color tto :give amaximum contrast 4with the white or 2.0 mm.- and preferably 0.9 mm. to 1.5 mm.

yellowish white of natural and artificial teeth. I have found carbon black to be a satisfactory pigment for this purpose. The particular carrier Which is chosen for the sheet i will depend upon which type of marking material is chosen. A sheet of a thin textile material or a thin absorbent paper sheet is suitable for use with a dye. For use with Japigment tfype of marking material,"the"carrierr sheet may be, for example, a thin sheet of a textile material, paper or cellophane.

The wafers in iinished form may be in the form of rectangular strips having the approximate surface area .of the'vco'nventienal articu-v lating paper. Alternatively, l'they "may assume any of the shapes l, I-b, l-c and' l-d'a's illus"- trated in Figures 1, 8, 9 and 10. ,It is to A.beclearly understood that the wafers will be of dimensions such that it is suitable `for use in a patients mouth.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate-ina vqualitative manner the performance oi the marking Vwafer in accordance with this embodiment of my inven- 'tion -i'n marking high 'spots 'on 'a patients molar teeth when bitten between -those teeth. Thesev iigures illustrate the fashion 'in which the 'soft wax "layers 3 and 4 "conform tto the tooth 'crown and allow any truly high spots on the -erwht'o cut through the wax and fcoine into contact with the marking Asubstar'c'e earried by the intermediate Sheet 2, whileY"efectively shielding th'o'se portions cf the occlusal surface which do `not Vcome into "contact or which come into "c'crrect Contact, from the marking material. As a'fresult 'the high :spots en the eeeiusei surface lare feecurately irlarked, with ric confusing 'markinfgf'or surfaces on which grinding isnot indicated. The upper molar Ytooth shown in Figure 3 has y'a high spot and it will lbenct'ed that this Ahigh spot has cut through the upper layer 'of wax 3 to come in contact 'with the 'markiiig layer -2. -I-n ecntrast to this, the `rri'olar teeth-illustrated `in`Figure '4 which has no -higlrspo'ts yljiave 'caused the wax 3 andi to conform to thefsha'pelof the o'ccln'sal surfaces but have mitpeiietratedientiriythrough "these :vfaxlayer's `'to reach *the marking layer 52.

Figure 5 shows ane ged section view f an `embodirr'ie'ent of myfnarkilng wafer'c'onsisting ci 'a marking layer and a singlelayer ofdwax. this llbodmeilt, 'the Wlf' .l D'rSS i2. :Carrier sheet 2-a impregnated fwith "or e'oated "d n one -side 'witha "marking substance "and laminated "to the sheet ll-"aV of Vva V`wax or wax-like material. When a 'coated ca'rrier 'sheet 2-u is utilized the coated vsuie ef the-sneer is placed'next-to the sheet 4-a of the 'wax'orwax-like material.

Figures 6 'and 7 illustrate, in 'a Asomewhateniarged view, the action'ofl this alternative L'ernbodiment of my marking device vwhen bitten the patient. In Figure '6 it will tbe noted that the vlower -molar Vtor'nth 'caif'ries' a `high "spot which lpenetrates vthrcugi-i the wax `or' wax-like lifnateriel to come into contact -Iwith the marking, 2*-fa. Tn

vthe event that this =-rnarking4 sheet/carries a marking substance coated on this surface-'a.iiJ -aceiit to wax or wax-like layer leaf-theupper teeth "will not be marked; alternatively, "if 'the marking layer 2-a is impregnated `with-'a dye 'thefei'tiiie occlusal surfaces fof the 'upper 'teeth 4wi1l fbe markedbut lthis is immaterial since'in'using this type of marker 'the dentist would be concerned 'with only "the 'lower-or the upper'teethfasthe 'c'as'e might beLvat-f-anyeneti'me. Fig-ure 'I lillus- 11er-etes 'the 'fpe'rlferiiianeeef this alternative reim A.ef any-inlandse f-weier'iwiin mittnlbetweenfteetn f '4 which carry no high spots. It will be noted in this ligure that the lower molar tooth has not penetrated entirely through the wax or wax-like sheet 4-a and is not in contact with the marking sheet Z-a and its associated marking substance. To fabricate a wafer, of the type illustrated in Figures l, 2, 3 and 4, utilizing a dye, a thin absorbent sheet 'is 'impregnated with a solution of the dye in'a Vsuitable solvent and the solvent allowed to evaporate to produce a marking layer. Alternately, a sheet is coated on both sides with a pigment suspended in a suitable film-forming vehicle, for example, a molten Wax or a solution of wax in a suitable solvent. The marking sheet is v'then laminated between two sheets of wax or 2. -Wax-like 'material by the application of heat and pressure. The heat and pressure may be applied by pressing the laminate between heated Yplatens l'of a press or by means of hot rolls.

To fabricate a wafer of the alternative type villustrated by Figures 5, 6 vand 'l Vutilizing a dye, a thin absorbent sheet is impregnated with a solution-of Vdye lin Va suitable solvent and the solvent allowed to evaporate to produce a marking layer. marking sheetis then laminated to a sheet of wax or a wax-like material .by the application foi heat and pressure. Alternatively, a vsheet is fcoated on one side with 'a pigment 'suspended in a 4suitable nlm forming vehicle, for example, Va mol- -tenwax ora solution of wax in a suitable solvent. The coated side cf this sheet -is vthen placed Vin contact with 'a sheet of 'wax or v.wax-like material andthe two sheets laminated bythe application roi heat and pressure, When utilizing either of `these -two types of marking sheets the heat 'and pressure may be applied by pressing -the laminate between Aheated Vplatens o'f a press or by passage 'between hot rolls.

In the fabrication of either :of the 'types of high 4spot markers utilizing 'two or three layers, respectively, 'the temperature of the hot platens for rollsasth'e caselmaybeshould -be high enough 'to cause Ylaminatcn but not sufeiently high rto melt the wax or wax-like material. Similarly,

, the pressure applied should be Isuiiicient `'by v'the temperature :employed to cause lamination, ibut insufcient to `create any noticeable `flow Ici the Vwax "or wax=like material.

While I have indicated and described several 'types-ef marking 'Waerconstructicn forcarrying my invention into effect, it will be apparent to 'those-skilled inthe dental 'art that my invention .is by no mean's limited tothe particular'wafers `shown sand described, rbut that many `modifica- ,tionsimay 'bemade Without :departing from the .scope ofimyinvention Las `set forth in fthe appended claims.

:What I claim and desire to vrprotect lby Letters *Patent fare:

l. A laminated dental marking wafer of -asiz fand shape-'adapted to nt into the mouth, comprisring .a relatively'thin `sheet 'carrying a .dark colored smarking-.substance substantially throughout its entireea'rea and laminated between -two relatively thick layers of a seit readilyimoldabletwax,fat leaston'e zof saidwax layers vhaving a thickness vs-'ithinzthe range from-0.9 tmm. -to 1.5 .'mm.

2. A laminated dental :marking wafer of na 'size .fand-shapeiadapted .to .t into'the mouth, com- '.prising 'a 'relatively thin 'sheet :carrying a .dark colored pigment substantially throughout :its entire area, laminated between two :relatively -thick f'layers of -aso'ft wax, said Wax s'being suffi- -ciently-hard to Jretainit's fshape-when .'handlediat room temperature and suiiiciently soft to .'c'onform to the shape of a tooth crown when sub- REFERENCES CITED jected to biting pressure in the mouth.

3. A laminated dental marking wafer of a size l'lef $111150 Iglalgenferences are of record m the and shape adapted to t into the mouth, comprising a relatively thin sheet carrying carbon 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS black pigment substantially entirely throughout Number Name Date its entire area and laminated between two rela- 1,458,062 Keith June 5, 1923 tively thick layers of a soft readily moldable Wax, 1,864,097 Sherman June 21, 1932 capable of being deformed under biting pressure 2,183,624 Schwartz Dec. 19, 1939 Without rupture by properly occluding posterior l0 tooth surfaces and of being pierced under said FOREIGN PATENTS biting pressure by a posterior tooth high spot. Number Country Date VICTOR O. LUCIA. 404,801 Great Britain Oct. 26, 1933 

